Tulip Joshi in legal tussle

While most actors make headlines to promote their movies, Tulip Joshi is in the middle of a controversy without even having completed the film involved. A UAE (Dubai) based production house called Biz TV Network has allegedly sued the actor for absconding with part of her remuneration worth Rs 8.5 lakh without having completed the shoot for their film, DAM999. However, Joshi denies all claims.

Says director Sohan Roy, “Tulip asked for half of the payment (Rs 7 lakh) before the film. We also paid her Rs 1.5 lakh as the instalment for the first schedule. She came and shot for two days and then just left. We tried asking her to return the payment and settle the matter, but we didn’t hear from her.”

Joshi went to Delhi for a few days after the first schedule, and then fell ill. Following which, claim the producers, she never returned.The film is being touted as a Hollywood project. According to Vinod Unnithan, the line producer, “The script has been registered with the Writers Guild of America and the film with the Motion Pictures Association of America.”

Joshi, who will be seen in Hostel soon, says, “The shooting for this film ended abruptly, I am waiting for them to tell me when I am supposed to resume shooting.”

When informed of the entire situation, Joshi was shocked, “This is crazy and absolutely untrue. I don’t know how to react to this. I have not been contacted by anyone from the production house. In fact, I sent them an email saying I am looking forward to the shoot.”

According to the FIR, Joshi has signed a contract with the company. In an attempt to find Joshi, Unnithan claims he even came down to Mumbai. “Last month I visited her flat in Pali Hill. I met Vinod Nair (Joshi’s boyfriend). He said he had connections with the central ministry and would shut the production company and not allow the film to release.” Nair, meanwhile, denies this. He says, “Some guy came to my house about a month ago asking for a crore and something to do with Tulip. I said I was the wrong guy and had nothing to do with her work.”

DAM999 is a tribute to the Banqiao dam disaster of 1975, which claimed over 2.5 lakh lives. Biz TV Network roped in over 16 national and international award-winning technicians from nine film industries for this project.

“Because we were working with international technicians on their remuneration rates, the production cost also increased manifold. We ended up losing over Rs 50 lakh,” says Roy, adding that since a relatively new actor, Megha Burman, has now replaced Joshi for the role of Razia, a Pakistani character in the film, the distributors may also create an issue.

“We don’t have an established actor, so distributing the film will be tough. If they ask for more money to do so, Tulip might have to share that expense too,” says Roy.